District Superintendent Patrick Spray told RTV-6 that it wasn't the prank itself that caused the students to be suspended, but rather that they were trespassing by entering the school after hours. Canaday, however, refuted the accusation, saying a school board member had given them a key to the school.

"The only way we got into the school was through a key that a fellow school board member had given us, and her daughter was also involved in this," Canaday told RTV 6. "When we have permission from a head custodian and we have a key from a school board member, of all people, saying 'Here's a key, I accept this.'"

“I just kind of feel bad that it got this far," Weatherman told the station. "It wasn’t meant to be a big deal ... I was just shocked, first of all, that they didn't think it was funny, and that we got suspended for it, and someone got fired … I would never in a million years have thought it would have come to that."